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Marriage and Our HealthBy Ellen Kreidman, Ph.D.
The Power of Love in a Marriage
Recent studies show that making your mate #1 on your list of priorities not only saves your relationship. It could save your life!
Dr. Dean Ornish, noted researcher and director of the Preventive Institute in Sausalito, California, sites studies proving the healing power of love in his book, Love and Survival.
At Yale, scientists studied 119 men and 40 women who underwent a coronary angiogram to determine the degree of blockage in coronary arteries. According to their findings, patients who felt most loved and supported by their mates experienced substantially less blockage than those who felt isolated fom their partners.
At Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, researchers studied nearly 10,000 married men with risk factors for angina, a heart condition. These men had high cholesterol, high blood pressure and EKG abnormalities – perfect candidates for heart disease. Those who answered "yes" to the question, "Does your wife show you her love?" experienced less chest pain, almost half of those responding that their wives didn't show their love.
As Ornish states, "Although diet, blood pressure, and other risk factors play an important role in heart disease and angina, these forces can be significantly moderated by a loving relationship."
So it seems there may be truth in the saying that you can break someone's heart. All the more reason to show your mate your love – today!
Five Reason Why Sex is Good for Your Health
If you knew about a pill that could give you more energy, fight infection, and prevent heart disease at the same time, would you take it? You probably would. How about receiving all this by engaging in more fun than popping a pill? That's right. We're talking about sex.
If you're reading this and thinking, "How can I get more energy from sex if I'm too tired to have it in the first place?" I have good news for you. The chemical your brain emits during sexual activity is the same chemical emitted whenever you hug, kiss or caress someone. So if having sexual intercourse seems like an unreachable goal at first, take baby steps.
Start by touching your mate. You've got 10 fingers, 2 hands, and 1 imagination. Use all three and you and your partner will be one step closer to feeling healthier. Whether you take baby steps toward sexual intimacy or you jump right into it, here 5 five important benefits:
- Better circulation
- Stronger heart
- Healthier skin
- Reduced stress
- Stronger immune system
Through the years, I've heard many stories of couples who healed one another through their loving touch. One of the men in my class suffered from chronic sinus headaches. No amount of inhalers, decongestants, or vaporizers equaled what his girlfriend Christine could do by applying loving pressure on his head with her fingertips.
Another student told me how she looked forward every night to lying in bed next to her husband as he lightly stroked her arms. No matter what kind of day she had, she knew her stress would disappear with each loving caress she felt.
The next time you're on your way to the pharmacy for medicine to fight a cold, ask yourself when you last had sex or simply touched your mate. Who knows, increase your sexual intimacy and you might find yourself snuggling in bed with your partner more – and driving to the drug store less!
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